Police intensify crime crackdown as Notting Hill Carnival marks 60th
Police are running targeted operations to disrupt gangs, drugs and weapons before Notting Hill Carnival's 60th anniversary, expecting around two million attendees.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
Police have stepped up their preparations for the 60th anniversary of the Notting Hill Carnival, running targeted operations to disrupt gangs, drugs and weapons before the street festival begins. Around two million people are expected to attend the bank holiday weekend event, and officers say they want to prevent the violence and disorder that has marred previous years.
Sky News joined Metropolitan Police officers on patrol in West London, where they were carrying out stop-and-search style operations. One vehicle was flagged for failing to stop in the NW6 area. The aim, officers said, is to identify potential criminals before they reach the carnival and disrupt their plans.
"We found that there's a lot of success last year upon doing operations like this and we want to stay on top of it this year," one officer said. "If we can get in disrupt these individuals from going to Notting Hill so that Notting Hill can run smoothly and it can be the celebration that it's intended to be."
The approach appears to have had an impact in previous years. More than 500 arrests were made during the carnival period last year, with around 280 of those, a quarter, coming from special operations in the lead-up to the weekend. This year, the focus is on gangs, drugs and weapons, with a significant police presence planned for the event itself.
Carnival organisers are also preparing, making costumes and staging what they describe as Europe's biggest street party. "It's just a celebration of both Caribbean culture and inclusive of people who would like to be involved in the Caribbean culture," one organiser said. "That's food, that's music, that's dancing and it's just a really joyous occasion."
This year's event carries extra significance as it marks 60 years since the first Notting Hill Carnival, a celebration of Caribbean culture and the Windrush generation. Police insist they are not trying to dampen the festivities, but to ensure they run safely for everyone involved.
On screen
Stills are sampled automatically at 60-second intervals. Where shown, the still is the nearest available frame from the relevant broadcast segment and is included to show what was on screen during that part of the broadcast. A still may not correspond to the exact second of a quoted phrase.
Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | Sky News |
|---|---|
| A quarter of the arrests made during last year's carnival came from pre-emptive operations. | |
| Around two million people were expected to attend the carnival. | |
| More than 500 arrests were made during the previous year's carnival. |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
Sky News focused on the police operation as the central narrative, contrasting the joy of the carnival with the threat of criminality. The report featured on-the-ground footage of patrols, a police interview explaining the success of pre-emptive operations, and organiser comments celebrating Caribbean culture. It highlighted specific arrest statistics and the scale of the event, giving a security-first but not alarmist tone.
- “We found that there's a lot of success last year upon doing operations like this and we want to stay on top of it this year”
- “If we can get in disrupt these individuals from going to Notting Hill so that Notting Hill can run smoothly and it can be the celebration that it's intended to be”
- “It's just a celebration of both Caribbean culture and inclusive of people who would like to be involved in the Caribbean culture. That's food. That's music that's dancing and it's just a really joyous occasion”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.